Automatic train-pipe coupling.



Jr v. ROBINSON.

AuToM'A-lc MAIN PIPE couPLxN-G. APPLICATlQN FILED DEC-21,1912'- RENEWED APR. Il, 1916.

. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3'- LV. ROBINSON. v AuToMMlcnAm :Pw'E' comme. yMPLKIATION lFHMEFVDIJ?.2|,"l912- RENSEWED APR'. Il. 1916.

.` mwN/701e Patented, Jan. 16, 1917.

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AUTOIiATC TRAIN-PIPE COUPLING.

Application iied December 21, 1912, Serial No. 738,014. Renewed Aprilill, 1916. Serial No. 90,822.

To all u rwm i may concern Be it known that I, Josemi V. Ronmsos,

a citizen of the United States, residing at,

New Haven, in the State of Connecticut, have 'invent/ed certain new and nseiul linf proveniente in Automatic Traindioe Con plings, ci which. tile following is a spec1- fication, V

The object' ofthe' present, invention is to increase tiieeiificiency and'ntility of automatic train .giipewouplings in the direction of promoting the interchan'geability foi different types of courriers.

One ci fthe known ty es o couplers-'is lrovidesf. with pin-and ei. guides 'for ringing the openings of the train ipes into register to connect tile pipes o one car 'accurarelyy with those of another. An-l other type of coupler is provided Een. ing wing-ifelse guides for the samevpnrpose, whiclslniay be brieiy'fdesignated as wing guides. According to my Present invention I construct both wing-guide couplers and pin--and-'unnei couplers so that either will antzomatcaiiy con le; to one of the same kind or oneV of t e other kind. Cars in the same train equipped in part with. the viiving-guide couplers and in part withl the pin-and-nnnei couplers will ail couple to .gether 'in soffar as the. train pipes are con- 'cernecL'regardless of the distribution of the several types of couplers. g

The invention will be more fully explained in, connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: l y

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing a coupler of the pin-and-funnel type in coupled relation to a coupler of the wing-guide type. Fig. 2 is a` side elevation of the pinand-unnel coupler shown in Fig. '11, partly in' section on the line 2-2 'of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a front or end View of the pin-andfunnel coupler shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an end View of the two couplers shown in Fig. 1.\ Fig. 5 shows the manner of assemiiling lthe @irland-funnel coupler shown. in the 'foregoing figures,` Fig. 6 illustrates the application of the princiole of the present invention to a coupler havingr three pipe connections. 7 isja partial section on the line ll-J "of Fig. 6. Fig. 8v shows in detail the disks or abutments used as bearing points for the head. l

Referring to Figs. 1 to- 5 of theolrawing 10, 11 indicate the draw bars of two car Specication of Letters Patent. Patenqi Jan. 315., 191'?.

couplers which are shown coupled'togetlier;

Referring particularly to Figs: 2 to 5 inclusive, 16" lndicates a coiled spring, preferably tapering and constructed of a` tapering rod as shown in ltire drawing. @ne

end-'o this spring is securely seated'in the base A', while the other end surrounds and is connected to a sleeve 17 which is adapted to slide upon the pipe 18 forming thetcrvininal member of the train pipe.I` The sleeve 17 'supports the forward end of the pipe 18 andvvintegral with the sleeve is the coupling head which carries the guide pin 19 and the guide funnel 20. The forward end of the' spring 16 enters the head B', as shown. at 2, Fig. 4., and the pin-and-fnnnei mema bers are held yieldingly in .their normal p0- sitionf by the spring. -These members are Jfree to rock about the axis of the pipe 18 to a limited extent in one direction and also .free to move rearward on said pipe as in ,loe presently described, to cause the open- .mg of the pipe 18 toregistenaccnrately with the corresponding opening .in 'the wing-guide coupler. The shapeA of the' guides 22, 23 will depend upon-thc particular shape of the wing-guide coupler with vwhich they are intended to coperate, but

I show them of convex formation as willv appear from the drawing. The 'guides 22, 23 have stop projections 24, 25'4 lying in substantially horizontal and `vertical .planes eov against which the arms carrying the pinand-funnel' members normally abut, shown -in Fig. 3. The guide members 2 2, 23 are symmetrical Withrespectjto the axis of the pipe 18, the opening of said pipe being centrally arranged between them 'and provided with a suitable iexible vasliet 26.

'lhe pipe 18 passes loosely through the base A; and is free to have a universal move'- ment therein to a limited extent. lt is prevented from turning in the base by means of a key 27, shown in Fig; 5, and the head .15 is slotted at '28 to permit it to 'pass over the key 27.

InFigs. 1 and 4 I have shown a coupler head of the well known wing-guide type but supported in substantially the saine manner as the pin-and-funnel coupler above described. B indicates the head of this cou.- pling, the same being supported by the spring 16 with freedom to recede and to turn in either direction. `The spring, however, holds tlie coupler head normally in the4 proper position for coupling. 0n the head B are the outwardly diverging wing-guides In Figs. 2 ari-d'3 ythere are shown disks or abutments 31 projecting slightly from the lface of the auxiliary guides 22, 23. rlhese are preferably arranged upon a diametiical line through the center of the pipe 18v and `are intended to hold themeeting faces 0f the couplers slightly' apart to prevent foreign substances froni interfering with accurate and close contact of the gaskets 26. These abutments may be in the form of headed pins of tough and suitably hardened metal set into the guides, one forni of such l abutments being shown in detail in Fig; 8. It will be understood that the pin-and y funnel' type of coupler described Willalso couplers is coupled to :A

one of the wing-guide couplers the auxiliary' iliary guides from accurately ooperatini' accurately connect with another coupler of that type. The'operation of either of these couplers in connection with another coupler of the sametype is well known. YVhen a car provided with one of the pin-andfunnel car provided with with the wing-guides. Neither do theaur.- iliary guides prevent the pin-and-funnel coupler from accurately cooperating-.With anotherpin-and-funnel coupler Whether it be provided with the auxiliary guides or not.

ln .Figs 1 to 5 l have shown the invention incorpprated in couplings suitable for auxiliary des or supports 42, 43 which are adapted to' coperate with the Wingguides of a coupler of the Wingtype. u In Fig. 6 there are shown in dotted lines wings 44, 45 havingguiding surfaces46, 47 which cooperate with the auxiliary guides 42, 43x. to bring the openings in the Wing-guide coupler accurately into register with the. openings in the pin-and-funnel coupler.

v It will be noted that in the variousiorms of the invention the auxiliary guides have consider-able depth and that the guiding surfaces are parallelmwith the axes of thev couplers as shown 'particularly in Figsxf, 5 andi. The. inner portions of the guiding surfaces of the wing-guides are preferably constructed in the same Wav so that in and near the final adjustment of one type of coupler to the other .in coupling' the contacting surfaces are parallel, which promotes accuracy in register between the couplers and prevents movement outof register While the opposing couplers are in mutual operative position.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is: i i

1. In an automatic train pipe coupling,

the combination with -a erforated cou lino' D head, of means on said head for intim.,

head of different construction and for ina taining said last mentioned fhead in place changeably receiving a perforated coupl//lg In an automatic train pipe coupling,

head, of spaced shoulders connected with said head for interchangeablyr receiving a perforated coupling head of dilderent con struction and for maintaining said last nienu tioned head in place With its perforation alined with the perforation of the first nien tioned head.

the combination with a. coupling head, of means for interchangeablyreceiving a cou pling head of a diii'erent type, said means comprising a support: connected. with the first mentioned head and having a seat with which Vthe guides of the last mentioned head register in coupling.

4. an automatic train pipe coupling, the combination Jwith a coupler of one construclll with said perforations substantially' alinedy.-v

iig

. 4 3. In an automatic train pipe coupling,`

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having guides of a di'erent construction,

and means connected with the first mentioned guides cooperating With the last mentioned guides whereby said couplers are. made interchangeable.

` 'i'. In an automatic train pipe coupling, the combination Withi a coupler having pinand-funnel guides, of auxiliary guides to adapt said coupler to coperate with a coupler havinga different type of guides.

8. In an automatic train pipe coupling, the combination with a coupler having pinand-funnel guides, of relatively movable Y auxiliary guides adapted to coperate with' 4the Wing-guides of a .coupler of the latter type. i

9. In an automatic train pipe coupling,

the combination with a coupler having guiding members and auxiliary guides, of meansl f supporting the rst-named guides for movethe combination with a coupler head and.

ment to permit another coupler to coper ate with said auxiliary guides.

10, In an automatic train pipe coupling,

guides carried thereon, of auxiliary guides, means normally holding` said auxiliary guides in a given relation to the first-men.- tioned guides, and means lpermitting movement of said guides to enable either-set of guides to coperate with an opposing coupler.

11'. In an automatic train pipe coupling, the combination with a coupler having a head provided with a central opening communicating with the train pipe and having also auxiliary guides symmetrically disposed on'opposite sides of said opening, of pin and funnel guides mounted'on said head for the purpose set forth.

12. In an automatic train pipe coupling,

l the combination with 'a base, of a spiral spring seated on the base and extending forwardly therefrom, a head carrying suitable guides supported at tle forward end of said spring, and a stem extending rearwardly of said head and carrying,r auxiliary guides.

13. In an automatic train pipe coupling. f

ythe combination with a coupling head the combination with a base, of a spiral spring seated inthe base and extending forwardly therefrom, --a head carrying suitable guides supported at the forward end of said spring, and a pipe extending through'said head and carrying auxiliary guides movable relatively to said suitable guides, for the purposel set forth.

14. In anautomatic train pipe coupling,

having pin-and-funnel guides and means for Aiiexibly supporting the same, and -a ,cou-

pling head having differently constructed guides and a flexible supporttherefon of auxiliary guides on one of said coupler heads adapted to cooperate with the guides of the other head to lring the couplers in the properregister.

l5. In an automatic train pipe coupling, the combination with a'coupling head carrying diagonally opposite convex Asurfaces adapted to receive correspondingly shaped guides on an opposing head, of guiding means for said coupling head movable relative to said convex surfaces.

16.- In an automatic train pipe coupling, the combination with a coupling head car rying diagonally opposite convex surfaces terminating approximately flush with the rear face of said'head and having shoulders V lyin substantially in the horizontal and vertical planes for coperating with correspondingly shaped guides on an opposing head, of interlocking means for said coupling head adapted to rotate relatively to said convex surfaces in coupling.

17. In an automatic train pipe coupling,

means 'for adapting a coupler of one type. 4to interlock With a coupler of a different typecomprising auxiliary guides on the former" coupler adapted to interlock with the usual guides upon the latter coupler.

18. In an automatic train pipe coupling, the combination with a coupler having pinand-funnel guides, of 1a 4 coupler having wing-guides and auxiliary guides on one of said couplers adapted to ooperate with the i guides of. the other coupler.

19. In'an automatic train'pipe coupling, the combination With a coupler having pinand-funnel guides, of auxiliary guides to adapt said coupler to coperate with a coupler having Wing-guides.

In testimony whereof I in Vpresence of two Witnesses.

y JOSEPH V. ROBINSON.

Witnesses: Y

Roer. TLANG, f 'J. A. WATSON.

aliix my signature 

